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Education in Heigard
The Education System of Heigard is the area with the highest budget within the Heigardian government. Public education is predominant, but private schools exist, in a much lower number. State education is free, and compulsory education lasts from 6 to 16 years of age. Sociological studies have demonstrated that education level is fundamental in the stratification of the Heigardian society, weighing no much more than the financial status of a person. __TOC__ History Heigardian education is historically linked to Carolingian methods employed in France until the 19th Century. In 1902 then-Minister of Culture Pierre Soriemange, standarized education by creating the "National school" (L'ecole nationale, La escuela nacional) consisting in mandatory (for children aged 6 to 16), free, and secular (laïcité, laicismo) education. All educational programmes and proyects are controlled and regulated by the Ministry of Education (officially called Ministère de l'éducation, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, Ministerio de educacion, enseñanza superior e investigación). The head of the ministry is the Minister of Education, office occupied by Gerard Barnadelli as of January 2009. The teachers, professors and researchers of Heigardian public educational institutions are civil servants making the ministry the largest employer in the country. At the primary and secondary levels, the curriculum is the same for all French students in any given grade, which includes public, semi-public and subsidised institutions. However, there exist specialised sections and a variety of options that students can choose. The reference for all French educators is the Bulletin officiel de l'éducation (Boletín oficial de la educación) (B.O.) which lists all current programmes and teaching directives. It is amended many times every year. Calendar The school calendar is standardized throughout the country, and is the sole domain of the ministry. It extends from early September to early July. Most students finish their school year around 1-20 July. In secondary schools, the year may finish before these days because the schools need time to organise the exams (for example, the Baccalauréat). Major holiday breaks are as follows: *All Saints (la Toussaint, Todos los Santos), one and a half weeks around the end of October and the beginning of November; *Christmas (Noël, Navidad), two weeks around Christmas Day and New Year's Day; *winter (hiver, invierno), two weeks starting in mid-February; *spring (printemps, primavera) or Easter (Pâques, Pascua) , two weeks starting in mid-April; *summer (été, verano), two months starting in early-July. Structure Primary education Schooling is mandatory as of age 6, the first year of primary school. Many parents start sending their children earlier though, around age 3 as nursery classes (maternelle, maternal) are usually affiliated to a primary school. Some even start earlier at age 2 in pré-maternelle (pre-maternal) classes, which are essentially daycare centres. The last year of maternelle, grande section (sección mayor) is an important step in the educational process as it is the year in which pupils are introduced to reading. After nursery, the young students move on to primary school. It is in the first year (cours préparatoire, preparatoria) that they will learn to write and develop their reading skills. Secondary education Category:Heigard